Disney has had a rather chequered history over recent years, releasing a series of pointless sequels to classic original films; however, 101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure is more than worthy of attention. Picking up largely where the first cartoon left off, all the familiar characters are present and correct, from the loveable puppies to Cruella De Vil, surely one of the great villainesses of all time. The most noticeable feature of the film is the superb animation, hand drawn and totally in keeping with the style of the original movie. In an era when computer-generated images are so dominant, this gives 101 Dalmatians II a feel that is both fresh and classic at the same time.

The story, too, is pure Disney--a tale of one puppy's efforts to find his own identity and calling--but it has a fair smattering of the wisecracks that have characterised more modern successes such as Toy Story and Monsters, Inc. The character voiceovers are noticeably short on big-name stars, but that at least ensures that the English accents are actually English and not some misplaced American interpretation. They may have missed the target on more than one occasion recently, but with 101 Dalmatians II Disney has got considerably closer to hitting the bull's-eye.

On the DVD: 101 Dalmatians II is an excellent DVD package and has plenty to keep the kids amused. The behind-the-scenes documentary is presented in a bright and breezy style ("this is Bob, he's an animator") and there is an excellent, educational interactive game. While Gareth Gates contributed to Lilo & Stitch, Will Young is the musical attraction here with a decidedly average and surprisingly low-budget video. The hand-drawn animation looks splendid on the digital format with its rich colours and depth and the soundtrack is suitably vibrant. --Phil Udell

Modern-day Iceland is terminally weird, if writer-director Baltasar Kormákur's debut film 101 Reykjavík is anything to go by. Our guide to this particular Icelandic saga is Hlynur, 28-year-old unemployed slacker and one-man Nordic-gloom factory; "I'll be dead after I die. I was dead before I was born. Life is just a break from death," he muses. After his gut-freezingly boring family Christmas dinner--whose highpoint is watching a video of last year's ditto--you can see his point. Distraction, and a welcome dose of Southern warmth, comes in the form of his mother's flamenco teacher Lola (the delicious Victoria Abril). Only after sleeping with her does he discover that she's not just Mum's teacher, but her lover as well.

A little like Pål Sletaune's 1997 Norwegian postie-comedy Junk Mail, 101 Reykjavík gets a lot of lugubrious fun from its protagonist's sheer social and emotional ineptitude--though to give Hlynur his due, most of his mates seem equally clueless, (the women, as so often in this kind of movie, come off rather better). We've been here before, of course--as a male with a severe case of delayed adolescence is gradually brought to engage with adulthood--but the offbeat humour and eccentric details of Kormákur's film keep it fresh and engaging. Whether--in view of remarks like "Reykjavík is like some backwater in Siberia, with glaciated diarrhoea,"--it will do much for the Icelandic tourist trade is another matter!

On the DVD: Filmographies for Kormákur, Abril, and lead male actor Hilmir Snaer Gudnason; subtitles and menu; and the theatrical trailer, which contains snatches of several scenes evidently cut from the final release. The sound is clean and immediate (score co-composed by Damon Albarn) and the widescreen print preserves the original 16:9 ratio. --Philip Kemp

It is rare to find a sequel which outdoes the original concept, particularly in the world of Disney movies, but 102 Dalmatians is an exception to the rule. The high jinks and action is back, with an additional puppy--the lovable Oddball, who has no spots--and of course the cruellest of villains, Cruella DeVil. After two years of rehabilitation Cruella is released into London's community once more--but this time insists on being called Ella, "Cruella just sounds so cruel"--but has the evil one really changed her ways to become not only a pillar of society, but also a dog-loving activist? Her probation officer Chloe is not convinced and added to that her dalmatians have just had puppies.

Glenn Close is back in fine form as Cruella--this may be the defining role of her career-and with a great range of costumes and hair-dos she adds fantastic menace to the character. Added to this is the joy of having two British actors in the role of dog-loving humans (Ioan Gruffudd as Kevin and Alice Evans as Chloe)--instead of having to listen to the cod Dick Van Dyke English accent that Disney seems to love. The film also offers an extrovert turn by Gerard Depardieu as the flamboyant French Fashion designer Monsieur Le Pelt. Through Le Pelt this film does make some important references to the fur trade and the "No Logo-esque" fashion production methods--adding political humour for adults. However as always the true stars of the films are the animal actors themselves, with the talking parrot Waddlesworth who thinks he is a rottweiler (voiced by Eric Idle) and of course the true star Oddball--the cutest puppy since the promotion of a certain toilet roll!

On the DVD: This disc is literally rammed with features and fun. From "Puppy Overload" (a compilation of clips to music) and trailers to educational Featurettes, set out in an easily to use menu allowing kids to stop and start the DVD and fully comprehend how the movie and the digital effects work. In addition to these features is a deleted scene offering further Cruella antics, "Dalmations 101" which will help parents across the world to wriggle out of that ultimate question "Can we get a puppy!" and a nice little commentary from the Director Kevin Lima and a multitude of dog handlers which offers lively and concise information on the movie. Finally there is a DVD-ROM connection with a game allowing budding fashion designers a mix and match activity on Cruella's clothes and a link to the Disney Web site. With Dolby Digital 5.1 sound and widescreen 1.85:1 format offering excellent viewing, this disc proves that Disney really is top of the league for educational and fun DVD packaging --Nikki Disney